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The renowned Stahl house, a quintessential example of modernist architectural design, is up for sale for the first time in its complete history.

This overhanging residence, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the listings this past week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its entire 65-year history, shared a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They stated that the dwelling had grown excessively demanding to maintain.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become progressively harder to maintain it with the dedication and energy it so rightfully warrants," stated the children of the original owners.

They continued that the moment had arrived to find a new "guardian" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its architectural significance but also grasps its role in the cultural landscape of the city and further afield."

Modest Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a hilly plot of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a famous representation of the city, the owners often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Architectural Undertaking

The first design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many architects were initially hesitant to erect it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls met with architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to undertake the project. With support from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to engage Koenig.

The progressive program "centered around experimentation" and "using new building materials and constructing in locations that maybe before the technology didn’t really allow," commented an authority from a regional preservation society. "All those things are combined into a place like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, contemporary and unimaginable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction totaled "just $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert commented.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most well-known photograph of the home. Captured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph depicts two women positioned in the home’s living room but seeming to levitate over the LA skyline.

"I believe the long-standing influence of that photo is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and detached from it," stated a head of an architectural firm and educator at a major university.

Historic Designation

The home has enjoyed notable cameos in movies, TV and music videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city designated the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was listed as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Stewardship

The home continues to be open for public viewings, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently sold out through February. In their statement announcing the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before discontinuing the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a new owner who will maintain the essence of the space.

"For connoisseurs of design, advocates of design, or institutions seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply nothing comparable," the description state. "This is more than a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a quest for the next guardian who will respect the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and secure its protection for posterity."

The expert agreed that the selection of buyer would be a crucial one, given the home’s past.

"In my view any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a home like this, it always causes a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their aims will be. And will they understand and cherish the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"